I understand that this might not be something new, nor is it something that can be changed at this point in the game. However, I've been role-playing Rogues since my first D&D game when I was 12. I just don't find the lockpicking in Bethesda games as challenging or in-depth as they could be.

Oblivion was a step in the right direction with the tumblers, however the fact that the game was paused during this made it ridiculously easy. Fallout had a good system as well, foregoing tumbler knocking by focusing on using a screwdriver as a tension wrench, however it was also not in real-time.

My hopes for Skyrim, whatever system they implement, are held high for a real-time lockpicking method. Morrowind had real-time picking, but it was completely unrealistic jabbing at a chest with a pick (to be fair, though, Emil wasn't on the team yet). What are some of your guys' opinions? I think if they could implement a fun mini-game that is challenging and in real-time, but that also included an "auto-try" option, they'd make a lot of the hardcoe rogue players and not so hardcoe rogue players very happy.

Not sure what you're suggesting here...

Are you saying you wish that guards and people could actually see and report you doing it while you're sitting there doing it?

I like how it was in Oblivion just fine personally btw

Oh yeah I'm a long time Rogue player type person too , always my favorite in all RPGS

I'm fine with the mini-game, but I do hope it's in real time. It would just add so much to the game. It was very unrealistic in Oblivion. You could be breaking into a shop on a busy street and then take 10 minutes trying to pick the lock if you wanted to without any fear of a guard spotting you.

Real-time lockpicking would add a tremendous amount of tension and strategy to the whole process. I wouldn't mind having to bail on an attempt if I saw someone coming only to resume it once they were out of sight.

I think it would be cool if it took place in real time. Like if a guard walks past and you only have about half a minute to pick the lock before another gaurd walks past and notices you. As far as the method goes, I would be fine with either Oblivion's or Fallout 3/New Vegas's.

I really hope they dont take it in Fallouts direction.. its just horrible.

The minigame was ridiculously easy when done manually.
Locks becoming permanently locked when failed.
Requiring X skill to even attempt the lock.
Im also pretty sure there were only a set amount of locks in the game. Once something was unlocked it was unlocked for the rest of the game.

If they literally ported over Oblivions method and made it real time I would be happy with it.

I hated the Oblivion minigame because it was difficult doing it with a mouse, but I liked the Fallout minigame. I would prefer Thief-style lockpicking in real time, as I said in http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1207867-why-do-lockpicks-break-upon-failure/page__view__findpost__p__18050254.

Also, the guy above me saying that it was silly that you needed a certain amount of skill to be able to attempt a lock somewhat misses the point of a skill-based roleplaying game. If you can attempt any lock with a Security skill of 5, then you may as well remove the Security skill.

Yeah, even if they recycled one of the previous lockpicking mini-games and didn't pause the world it would be great. My whole long topic was just complaining that the lack of it being in real-time makes it far too simple.

Read up on what Oblivions security skill did..

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Security

Every single level up made lockpicking easier in Oblivion. It gave you more time to lock a tumbler in place before it fell again. The only thing increasing lockpicking in Fallout did was increase the chance of forcing the lock open without breaking it.

You could attempt a very hard lock with 20 Security skill but the odds are you werent going to be successful at it. In Fallout you dont even get the option to try. The only lockpick skill levels that mattered were 25, 50, 75 and 100.

Like always they will have auto try if its hard and you can't open it yourself but may fail. Also it will be in real time a believe because since they have real time conversations. And if you get hit while in real time lockpicking the attack will do more damage because you are not focused on your surroundings.

One more thing does anyone want traps to be put back in chest dresses hatches homes and such?

I do to make the game more difficult and makes it feel like people have something to hidden.

Traps and a return of probes would be a welcome surprise!

Yup, I would like traps and probes back. But I want the clue that a chest or door is trapped to be purely visual, like an extra plate on the lock, or something just visible under the chest. Having a chest announce, "Chest, Lock 10, Trapped" kind of took the surprise out of it.

The surprise was when you tried to open the door before de-trapping and finding out if you were all dead or just mostly dead.

It always confused me that my warrior had to pick the lock on chests when he could just smash through them with the huge [censored] warhammer strapped to his back.

This is a great idea. However, they'd have to adjust the guard patrols so that you actually have a reasonable amount of time before the next guy walks by. Also, you'd need to allow players the abillity to still crane their necks to look around them so they can still watch their backs. I can see players waiting until the middle of the night when the patrols are thinner and they are protected by the darkness before they try to break in. Of course, that was always the best time to break in because if someone was home, they'd usually be sleeping by that time.

Arena (and also Daggerfall, I think) allowed you to break open locked doors with your weapon. I really hope they bring this feature back, but I'm finding it unlikely, since they would also have to make the doors and chests destructible, plus there would be doors and chests that cannot be opened without a key anyway, and the option to break them open would possibly ruin some parts of a quest. There would be consequences, of course, like whatever is in the chest being broken by your brute-force approach, or enemies being alerted to your presence after breaking a door down.

I liked the lockpicking in Oblivion, but I'll admit that it made the lockpicking skill somewhat redundant. Sure, raising the skill helped out a little bit, but when you got the hang of it once you had the hang of it forever. However, I generally prefer player skill over character skill in a lot of ways so it suits me fine, but I can see how it becomes a problem in a skill-based game. Personally I don't really care what way they go for lockpicking as long as it works.

No, the odds of me opening a hard lock at level 20 is 100% since the minigame is simple, not to mention you get nearly 50 or so lock picks in the beginning of the game, which made buying them unnecessary unless you couldn't figure out the minigame.

All of the mini-games and what not are supposedly taking place in real time..

Hmmm... I [personally] would prefer it if lockpicking was handled the way it was done on Vampire Bloodlines, or Arx Fatalis. :shrug:

*Barring that, then I'd want a few (several) 3/4 view lock models that open up in expanded view to the player ~depending on the PC's skill at lock picking. Experts see the lock interior, and what has to be done, while the novice sees nothing internal (having never studied the lock). In either case, the lock can be opened by novice or expert, but for the novice it must be done blind (as the PC is not a skilled lock picker ~yet).

**None of this will appear in a TES game though.

The key is for the game not to tell you what skill you need to pick the lock - match that with whatever little mini game and it would be great, cause some locks you would be stuck at and not even know that the chances of your picking were like winning the lotto

The mini-game is simple yes but it actually requires something from the player unlike Fallout 3. Also you mentioning the fact you get an abundance of lockpicks doesnt really back your point of having "100%" success rate. Spending 5 lockpicks to open something was 5 failures and 1 success.

Here is a very hard lock at 51/52 Security skill..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs1SUYNHMxA

He even knows the method and still fails 3 times. I find it highly unlikely you can open a very hard lock with 20 Security with 100% success rate.

I'd rather the mini-game being in real time optional. Like on the options screen we can select whether we want it or not. That way, everyone's happy!

I was also thinking about the cool perks they could implement for security if lockpicking were real-time.

For example:
One perk could be something that slows down time in lockpick mode (Pick-et Time)
One perk could give you warning of approaching eyes a few seconds ahead of time (Stealth-o-Vision)
One perk could give you a bonus to sneak while lockpicking (Shadow Charmer)

This always bothered me as well. If it were my system I'd allow lock / container bashing with some balancing mechanics such as...

(i) Deadlier Traps: Bashing can't disarm the trap, so you'll have to be tough as nails or a gambler if you want to bash a trapped door or chest.

(ii) Brute Force Consequence: It may be that to bypass the iron lock you have to smash through the hard wood of the chest. But in so doing, you can easily ruin the goodies inside. Perhaps the less skilled you are with a weapon the more likely you are to destroy any and all loot inside the chest?

(iii) Different Materials and Strength Thresholds: Smashing a wooden chest is one thing. Smashing an iron door (or for that matter, chest) is something else entirely. You may need a minimum amount of strength to bash wood, a higher amount to bash reinforced wood, and superhuman strength to bash iron.

Fallout 3 style and real time, sounds good. Oblivion style and real time, not so much..

That sounds awesome someone should definately mod in something like that